2023: Organisation sets up committee to prevent voter apathy, mobilise youths

Nigeria Youth Organisation (NYO) has set up the National Youth Mobilisation Team 2023 Committee to mobilise the young people across the country as a way of dealing with voter apathy.

The Committee is also to ensure peaceful conduct of the forthcoming 2023 general elections.

More so, the NYO called on the Federal Government to empower the Independent National Electoral Commission (INEC) to procure more machines and recruit more staff to ensure that the large number of young persons queuing to register for PVCs got their cards.

Speaking at the inauguration of the team code-named ‘Team 5 Million Youths Committee’ yesterday, in Abuja, the National President of NYO, Hon. Abdullahi Wali said the team would set up structures in each state of the Federation including the Federal Capital Territory (FCT), the 774 local government areas in the country and the 8812 wards to serve as a platform to mobilise young people for 2023 elections.

He explained that the team would organise a national democratic walk in all the geopolitical zones and town hall meetings in the 36 states and the FCT before the 2023 elections

He said, “We cannot mobilise people to vote if they don’t have the opportunity to be registered. So, we’re going to be utilising this opportunity and this platform which constitutes part of our Terms of Reference to put pressure on the Federal Government and the power brokers in Nigeria to provide for more ionic machines and staff to ensure that the number of young persons that are strong in the respective ethnic offices.

“So, we want to use this opportunity to call on the Federal Government to strengthen the INEC to ensure that we have young people registered. The NYO is a formidable organisation and the most organised youth organisation in Nigeria registered since 1980. We have been at the forefront of ensuring good governance and ensuring that youths are empowered.

“One of the essences of setting up this Committee is to ensure that we sit down with respective political parties to negotiate for inclusiveness in government and governance. And to also ensure that the platform which we know would carry young people along and give Nigeria good governance is supported by whoever emerges as President in the 2023 elections.”

Also speaking, the National Chairman of the Committee, Dr. Michael Nku Abuo said that the organisation wants an election devoid of any form of violence, adding that from the structures and the ambassadors the committee is setting up at the respective polling units, the issue of ballot box snatching and the issue of violence in the election will be addressed.

He implored the youths not to mortgage or sell their votes as no amount given to them can equate to the suffering they might have if a wrong person is voted into office.